WELL it’s back – and how!

Seventy-six points, more than 900 offensive yards, a punt returned for touchdown, the longest kickoff return in history and a goal-line stand to finish. Yeah, I think it’s fair to say the Saints and the Packers opened the new NFL season in some style last night.

Now admittedly I did have to jump off the sofa a couple of times to turn down the dreadful Maroon 5 and Kid Rock during the pre-game show. But otherwise it was a pretty enjoyable evening/early morning and certainly whetted the appetite for the months to come.

It’s always dangerous to draw too many conclusions from just one game but suffice to say the Packers look like they will be very strong again. For the record, I’m tipping them to repeat and win the big one for a second year running. In Randall Cobb they seem to have found a real gem, while Jermichael Finley's addition to the offense was seamless.

That said, it wasn’t a particularly auspicious night for the defences though this will probably worry the Saints more. They know they can rely on Brees for 30+ touchdowns and Darren Sproles already looks like an improvement on Reggie Bush. But they have to tighten up the points allowed. True, they won’t be facing offenses as good as the Packers each week but they play in a tough division where both Atlanta and Tampa Bay will be strong.

One of the main reasons so many pundits are tipping the Packers to grab back-to-back championships is because they will benefit from continuity after the lockout and a summer where the league was in hiatus. I pretty much agree with this theory. It’s been a mad month or so since the lockout ended but I those teams who were most stable at the end of last year should do well again.

The Bengals, unsurprisingly, fall nowhere near this category and after last night watching them play Cleveland on Sunday will be like another sport altogether.

Marvin Lewis made an interesting comment last week, saying he believes this year’s team will be better because it has a better spirit. That may be true – but spirit only counts for so much and cannot make up for a lack of quality. A number of the Bengals key players were criticised last year as the team went 4-12 but their production will still have to be replaced.

Carson Palmer is widely regarded as having had a very poor year but he still threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 20-odd touchdowns. Can we really expect Andy Dalton, no matter how enthusiastic he might be, to get anywhere near that?

Can AJ Green get anywhere near the 1,000 receiving yards that troublemaker Terrell Owens put up? Who will match Chad Ochocinco’s output?

If the offense doesn’t look as strong, can we really expect a defense which lost its best cornerback and which has a virtually new linebacker corps to step up time and again?

It seems appropriate to make a prediction, so I’m going to say 4-12 – with an opening day defeat to the Browns. Considering everything that’s happened since last year, I suppose you could call it a less infuriating or better 4-12 than last year. But it’s still 4-12, whatever way you dress it up.

Of course, there’s interesting storylines developing across all 32 teams, not least the likely long-term absence of Peyton Manning in Indy.

There’s a few I’ll be keeping an eye on. For example, I’m interested to see how Chad gets on in New England. No excuses for him now, this is his big chance to win on a real team. He deserves the opportunity and I for one hope he takes it.

In our own division it will be interesting to see if the Ravens can get out from under the shadow of the Steelers – who they meet on Sunday in what is arguably the game of the week. It’s a big year in Baltimore and while Joe Flacco has plenty of years left, you wonder just how much longer defensive stalwarts like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed can continue to produce at the level they have.

Perhaps the biggest pressure is in San Diego, where you do get the sense it’s either now or never for the Chargers. Philip Rivers has been one of the top quarterbacks for four or five years now but his side never quite live up to their huge potential – and often start terribly. If, for once, they hit their straps from the word go, they could be a good bet to be lifting the Vince Lombardi trophy come February.

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